estoria | ( OPEN )

[Oh look, it's Koumei! And a smaller Koumei? Tanto Koumei.

That's probably not right.]

Hello there! Is this a, ah--relative of yours, Koumei-dono? [asks Naki's fox, as they approach.

[Better not call Kouha a Tanto to his face-- not when his sword of choice is taller than he is!]

Hello, Mister Nakigitsune, Little Fox. [He bobbed his head politely, smiling more brightly than the Foxes were probably familiar with.] This is my brother, Kouha. I hope no one minds if he stays with us for a while.

[In that respect, should we call him Ōdachi Koumei? (Probably not.)

Kouha's just slightly baffled for a moment, because he could swear that voice came out of the animal and not the spirit that looks like a man. He recovers with a smile pretty fast, though, and gives a little wave.]

Nakigitsune, huh? Nice meeting ya.

[That name's such a mouthful... Watch out for incoming nicknames, new roomie.]

You guys keep foxes here? Cool.

[He could be just like Hotarumaru!

But yes. Naki returns the wave by raising a hand in his very favorite fox shape! While the fox keeps talking.]

I am not being kept, like a simple pet fox! That phrase would more accurately describe our cybuddy companion, somewhere in the apartment.

Indeed.

[Koumei scratched his head idly as he peered down at the little foxes and his brother.]

It's a complicated situation with the foxes here. Naki and Kogi both have an association with them, and Naki lets this Little Fox speak in his stead. The Cybuddy Fox is more like a pet, kind of like the pigeons I kept in Rakushou.

Edited 2016-03-21 21:51 (UTC)

[Oh, wow. Wow. Did Koumei manage to find the coolest apartment in the entire colony, or what?]

Yeah, and your pigeons definitely never talked, Mei! I dunno how you managed to find a place full of such interesting people, but I like it.

[He tries to mimic the hand sign Naki's making, fumbling it a bit, but he's just too amused by this whole thing to care.]

You some kinda sword spirit, too, Foxy?

Nakigitsune is a sword spirit, yes! An uchigatana, to be more precise.

[Once upon a time he'd have given a whole thing about when Naki was made and stuff, but considering how many people in Cereal have never heard of Japan......

Also, Naki nods his foxhand instead of his own head.]

We look forward to living together with you, Kouha-dono!

And for Little Fox, please think of Him and Naki as being one and the same. They rarely are separated-- I've been in this apartment for about two months now, and I've never seen one without the other.

Little Fox is just...Little Fox.

Right... So, like, Naki is a metal vessel and Foxy as the conqueror, or something? Makes sense, I guess.

[That's... a little weird, actually, but Kouha is nothing if not flexible in these matters. Besides, the two of them are kind of adorable.]

It'll be fun to live together with somebody like that, anyway, so it's fine! I'm looking forward to it, too.

More like if Leraje had a pet fox that she allowed to speak in her stead, but that's the right idea.

[He hadn't fully explained Metal Vessels to Swordhaus....partly because it was just as complicated as their state in life was.]

The 'conqueror' would be closer to Mister Haru's position...although, he shares much in common with a Magi as well. He's the one who allowed these swords to manifest as they are, after all.

Edited 2016-03-28 19:04 (UTC)

[The talk of conquerors and metal vessels makes Nakigitsune tilt his head slightly, but the smallest fox fixates on an entirely different part of the conversation.]

I am not a pet, nor a conqueror! And Nakigitsune's vessel is right here, at his side!

[Putting a hand on his sword! His body? Himself? Being a tsukumogami is confusing sometimes.]

--My apologies, Naki, Little Fox. I didn't mean to infer anything untoward.

[Koumei scratched his head. How embarrassing.]

To be frank, the concept of spirits dwelling within objects isn't entirely unfamiliar in our world, but the reasons are unrelated to an object's longevity or not. Instead, it's related to various Dungeons and the Djinn who dwell within them. Those who solve the puzzles of those Dungeons are said to 'conquer' them, and they form a pact with the Djinn who guards it.

That pact is symbolized by the presence of an eight-sided star that becomes emblazoned on a metal object that the 'conqueror' holds dear, and it becomes a 'Metal Vessel'...

Like so.

[He drew his own fan, showing Naki and Little Fox the symbol of the Lesser Key of Solomon emblazoned on the handle of it.]

However, while we can borrow the Djinn's powers as needed, we're not able to call them forth into this world-- that is in the domain of the Magi and the Magi alone.

...

[he took a breath.]

My apologies if this is confusing for you, but drawing comparisons between your circumstances and what is familiar in our home has been the easiest way for me to understand. Little Fox and Naki are more like....friends, right?

[Kouha listens to all of this with a frown, listening to Koumei's attempt to explain as he stares at that sword. So, he carries the sword he's attached to, huh? He'd expect Haru to have it if he was the master here, but apparently not.

When Koumei pauses, he waves a hand and shakes his head, trying to keep everyone calm.]

It's totally not an insult. People with metal vessels and the Djinns are the best partners out there, you know? None of it works if the Djinn doesn't like you, and you gotta work hard for that.

[Except Kouha, who got his because he lucked out and his other brother had too many Djinn already.]

Seems like the whole situation's pretty different, though... Maybe we should just keep it simple. "Friends" or "partners" works just fine, but names are even easier, and you don't gotta explain anything. They're just "Naki and Fox", right?

[He looks to Naki and Foxy for confirmation, because it'd be better not to stick their feet in their mouths a second time in a single conversation. Besides, he's always rolled with the strange a little easier than Koumei does.]

[...You know, they'd never actually thought of describing their relationship before, they don't really know how to answer the friend comment...which is why Kouha's answer actually comes as kind of a relief. There's a short delay before Naki nods.]

Ah--that's right! We're simply Nakigitsune and fox. [Ahem!] That is quite interesting though! Djinns sound something like tsukumogami...have you met djinns yourselves?

Anyone who's conquered a Dungeon has met at least the Djinn they are tied to-- if they haven't met others while assisting relatives or companions who have also conquered Dungeons across the world.

But by our strength alone, we're not able to let them manifest at all in this world. Only someone similar to Mister Haru can accomplish that, and there are only four people like that in our world.

...I've met Dantalion once in person, and her strength is added to my own in times when it's needed. Does that make sense Naki? Little Fox?

Hmm, yeah, you meet your Djinn when you make a pact with them. They don't really do that without seeing your strength for themselves, you know? My Leraje's kind of a crybaby, though, so it's probably better if we don't talk all the time...

[She's still his forever girl/Djinn, though, so mocking her any more feels mean.]

There was that time Aladdin brought out all our Djinn in Magnostadt, too. Mei wasn't there for it, but it was weird to see half a dozen of 'em out at once, especially on a battlefield!

Ah, I see! They do seem quite a lot like us, from the sounds of it - though we do not choose our masters, or require any sort of conquering to be acquired.

[How interesting!]

Would it be possible to meet your Djinn someday? Perhaps with our master's assistance, or if this Aladdin ever appears.

[Hm. That was an interesting thought.]

...While, in theory, Mister Haru might be able to manifest them temporarily, there's no guarantee that it will work. Even in our own home, the Djinn exist in another realm entirely and require a tremendous amount of energy to manifest for even a short period. Only the Magi, like Aladdin, who are beloved by the rukh and have access to all of the energies in nature, can bring them out into the world at all.

Since Mister Haru already has at least a dozen of your bretheren manifested even here, I don't think it's wise to attempt. But, if all parties are in agreement to try, it might be interesting to see how it works.

[There goes Koumei, always with the theorizing... It's all kind of over his head, and he gives Naki and the fox a shrug to show he's not going to be much help there.]

We'd need someplace big to do it, too... They're sized more like buildings than people, so we can't fit them in here. Maybe we could try just one at a time?

[It wouldn't do to let their landlord/host/new friend? pass out over something that amounts to a whim.]

One at a time would make the most sense...only if our master agreed to it, of course.

[Gotta respect Haruji's wishes, after all!]

Ah, but all that aside, it really is a pleasure to meet you, Kouha-dono! We are glad to see that Koumei-dono has found family in this place.

[Of course-- no one would pressure Haru into anything he didn't wish to do.]

Yes, and I want to thank the both of you as well for allowing Kouha to stay in the apartment with us.

Yeah, it's pretty nice of you guys to let me stay here just like that.

[Not that it wasn't inevitable, of course. He'd just expected to have to bully his way in a lot more.]

And thanks for watching out for my brother, too. I appreciate that.

[More than they probably realize, in fact. They're officially on his cool people list now, and it'll be hard to get back off it. Hugs are imminent, new fox friends.]

It's no problem at all! We are used to a crowded citadel, and besides, Koumei-dono is a very good housemate.

That's right.

[Naki's first (and possibly only) actual words in this entire conversation. Hooray!

They'd be so confused if hugs happened...]

[Be glad, Naki and Fox. Koumei isn't one to just up and hug someone at random unless he is particularly close to that person. He just smiles instead.]

You both are very good housemates as well, Naki and Little Fox. The castle we grew up in was always crowded as well, so these apartments are a small comfort in this strange place.

[Isn't Naki just full of surprises? When he finally talks, Kouha looks a bit shocked, but he quickly smiles again. This is such a weird group, and he already likes it. They'll get used to hugs eventually!]

Yeah, definitely. Being in a quiet place is so boring, anyway! And at least this place has way more interesting people to hang out with.

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